


Dear Fellow Travelers

by Elthadriel, Kittenly



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Dual-Verse, F/F, F/M, Lysander Trevelyan, M/M, Mara Hawke, Mercy Amell, Multi, Pyrena Hawke, Renwyn Lavellan - Freeform, Sierra Cousland
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-22
Updated: 2014-10-22
Packaged: 2018-02-22 05:01:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2495387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elthadriel/pseuds/Elthadriel, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kittenly/pseuds/Kittenly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of scenes and stories from our Dual-verse, where there are two Wardens, two elder Hawkes, and eventually two Inquisitors. </p><p>Length, genre, and quality will vary, see chapter summaries for specific warnings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. If This is to End in Fire, We Will Both Burn Together

**Author's Note:**

> Mara Hawke/Anders  
> Genre: Romance/Angst  
> By Kittenly
> 
> Right before the final battle, Mara has a choice to make.

Mara glared between Orsino and Meredith. Every single thing they did just made Kirkwall worse. Pyrena had already stepped forward to defend Orsino, or perhaps more accurately, to fight Meredith.

She stood quietly by her sister, but that was all it took for her support to be made clear. Orsino puffed up slightly with the Hawke twins at his back. However, Mara was unsurprised when Meredith seemed to just become more enraged.

Orsino took notice too, and turned towards the Chantry. “The Revered Mother can put a stop to this nonsense,” he said.

Meredith grabbed his arm. “You will not bring her into this!”

“Watch me.”

Mara was studying them so intently that she didn’t notice Anders step forwards until he stood in front of them.

“You can’t,” he said. And at those words, Mara felt her guts freeze. Not the gentle, familiar touch of frost that accompanied her magic. This was nothing but cold, damp, dread.

“Anders,” she said. It came out a strangled whisper.

He turned to Mara. His face was serious and his eyes bright, almost feverish. Mara saw the same determination he showed when he was healing in the clinic.

“The time for compromise has passed,” he said, talking directly to Mara. She was going to be sick. “The Revered Mother has proven she won’t taken sides. Now is the time to act. There can be no half measures.”

Mara looked between his eyes, cold and determined as stone, and the building behind him.

“Anders,” she said again. “What have you done?”

“What must be done. We cannot turn back.”

The ground began to tremble. Startled shouts rose up from the mages and templars surrounding them. A beam of red light, clearly magical, shot up from the Chantry. It hung in the air for a moment and Mara stared at it, expressionless. When it detonated, the courtyard was filled with screams and shouts. Then there was a pain and it all went silent except for the ringing. Mara stood, one of the few who still did, and stared at the crater where the Chantry had been not a minute ago.

Something warm dripped down her neck. She touched it idly and found blood oozing from her aching ears. They must have burst in the concussion. Without thinking, she plucked a tread of magic from her core and wove it into a simple healing spell. The spell made her ears cold, but the aching stopped and sound started returning. The courtyard was filled with groans, but it was still too quiet.

Mara stared into space as Orsino and Meredith fought, throwing words like knives at each other. She heard “right of annulment,” but that was about all. She didn’t object when Pyrena threw their lot in with the mages. It was probably the right thing to do.

Meredith left, but many of the templars remained, hands on swords, looking at Anders. Orsino glared at him.

“I will leave you to decide the fate of your…friend,” he said before running off to warn the Circle mages.

Anders had drifted off to sit on one of the courtyard benches. The rest of their little crew looked on. Aveline was the first to speak.

“We can’t let this go,” she said, though her voice was soft.

“This is what magic makes men,” Fenris added. “He’s a murderer.”

“It was wrong,” said Merrill. “He should atone for the damage he’s done. His death would be a waste.”

“It was bold, I’ll give him that,” said Isabela.

“I’m so sick of templars and mages,” was all Varric had to say.

Pyrena looked at her sister, frowning. “I think he should die,” she said frankly.

Mara gave didn’t look at any of them as their remarks bounced off her. She turned from them and walked towards Anders.

The evening drizzle turned into a proper rain as Mara approached. Anders sat unmoving on a bench, his head in his hands. They were trembling. Mara stopped before him and waited. After a moment, he lifted his head, though he did not meet Mara’s eyes. When he spoke, his voice was hollow and sad.

“There’s nothing I can do to make it better,” he said. “Vengeance took control. I was so angry. I was so weak.”

He fumbled at his side, then unsheathed a little dagger that he always carried. Mara knelt before him, looking up, trying to search for the right answer. Anders took her hands and placed the dagger in them.

“Please,” he whispered. “Kill me before there’s nothing left of me.”

Mara was sick of it all. She was sick of having to choose sides, of having all of this thrust upon her. She never wanted to be Champion. Let Pyrena have the titles. She would be happy with quiet and books.

Except. That wasn’t true. Not anymore.

People needed her. The templars wouldn’t back down and the mages—her people—would be slaughtered like rats. Mara wouldn’t abandon them. And that’s when she knew: she wouldn’t abandon Anders either.

Mara let the little knife fall out of her hands and onto the courtyard stone. She cupped Anders’ hands in her own and said, “These hands,” she said, running her fingers over the skin kept soft and smooth by Anders’ constant healing spells. “Your hands are the hands of a healer.” She looked up, and met his eyes.

“You taught me to heal,” she said, pulling a thread of magic loose and weaving a small spell for a cut above his left eyes. The chilly blue light knit the skin back together.

“What are you saying?” Anders asked. His eyes darted over her head to where templars were surely edging in on them.

“I’m saying no.”

There was a swish of steel as several templars drew their swords.

“No one is going to take you from me,” Mara said. “Not these templars. Not Vengeance. Not anyone.”

The last words came as a shout as she spun to her feet, cracking open the cavity that held her magic. Winter poured out of her.

The water on the courtyard stones froze instantly, sending templars skidding. The few who remained standing we swatted back with a blast of freezing wind. One gained footing and attempted to charge her from the side. Her staff lay on the ground forgotten, but the templar kicked it away for good measure. It didn’t matter. Mara was a staff, channeling her magic in fluid gestures. She ducked under the templar’s sword strike and froze the armor on one arm and both knees in their current position. The templar went sprawling. As the others gained their feet, Mara looked at the ten templars surrounding her. In one fluid motion, she spun in a circle and threw out a raging storm of snow and wind. It lasted for about thirty seconds, then slowly died. There was warmth coming from nearby, and Mara saw her sister and companions surrounded by a ring of Pyrena’s fire.

The templars were not so lucky. Every one of them was stuck, frozen to the walls surrounding the courtyard. Their ankles and wrists and chestplates all coated in thick ice. But all were breathing. There was almost no blood.

Pyrena let the circle of flame drop. She stalked over to her sister and shook her slightly.

“I won’t kill him, and you will have to kill me before I let anyone else have him,” Mara said.

Pyrena frowned and grabbed Mara’s arm. “Just listen to me for one fucking moment will you,” she said. “Look, I know we haven’t always gotten along in regards to him and yeah, if it was on me, I’d kill him. I think he’s dangerous and not just because of this; I don’t like the way he treated you…” She sighed when Mara glared at her. “But you trusted my judgment about Isabela and the mages, and a load of other things. So I guess, as long as you promise me you think this is the right thing to do, and not just cause you’re fucking the bastard, I’m willing to trust you about this.”

A small sob that only Pyrena could hear escaped Mara’s throat. “Thank you, Sister.”

Mara turned away and helped Anders to his feet. He looked at her strangely, and Mara shifted under his gaze.

“Mara,” he said. “I’m so sorry.”

“I know,” Mara said tiredly. “I know it’s hard. But Anders, I know nothing is certain and a lot of people in this city will probably not see morning. You need to make me a promise.”

His brow tightened in pain. “Of course. I will never keep something like this from you again.”

“We will find a way to heal you.”

He nodded, touching her cheek. “I’d like that. I’d like to be free again.”

“Then we will stay together. Don’t leave my side, even if the fighting gets bad.”

“We’ll die together then?”

Mara shook her head. “No. We’ll live. We always do.”

“And then what? You shouldn’t tie yourself to a fugitive with no future.”

Mara cupped his cheek and forced his eyes to meet hers. “We run.”

“Mara…”

She shook her head. “This is my choice. I’m not giving up on you.”

He touched his forehead to hers. “Then I will be worthy of your faith.”

The rain poured down harder, and Pyrena shook Mara’s shoulder again.

“Let’s get moving. The mages aren’t going to save themselves.”


	2. Second First Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mara/Anders  
> Genre: Fluff  
> By Kittenly
> 
> Mara didn't expect life on the run to be so...romantic.

Mara was eager to return to camp, where Anders tended a hot fire. While the cold bothered her a lot less than most people, it was winter in the mountains, and the sun was already mostly set. Behind her, she dragged the two white hares which would be their dinner.

Mara walked over the snow like a cat, not breaking the icy crust. The shadows stretched, turning the whole mountain a deep blue. Up ahead, in the lee of the mountainside, the shadows were driven back by a golden glow. The fire was too large and too hot to be natural. As Mara got closer, she saw the little gully it illuminated. The snow had been burnt off, revealing the soft, sandy ground.

The snow softened and disappeared under her boots as she approached the friendly fire. An enormous cat bounded away from the fire and rubbed against her legs, purring. She was pure black except for a white spot on her chest. She had a thick winter coat of long, fluffy fur and thick ruff around her neck. She was weighed more than Mara’s backpack typically did, but that didn’t stop either her or Anders from scooping the monster up and carrying her on their shoulders.

“Hello, Kitty,” Mara said. She knelt down and gave the cat a thorough rubdown before handing over the smaller rabbit. The cat snatched her prize and ran off to show Anders. She bathed in his praise until it was time to go devour the creature in some corner.

“I don’t know how you do it,” he said. “It’s bloody freezing except right by the fire.”

“Magic,” Mara said mysteriously. Anders laughed.

He hugged his jacket closer to him as he stood. Even though he complained, his face was relaxed and an unconscious grin lingered on his mouth. Getting away from Kirkwall had done him good. He walked over to their supplies and grabbed their rudimentary cooking supplies—an earthen pot, some carrots and a potato.

“I’ll clean the hare if you go start melting snow,” he said.

* * *

 

The sun had set completely by the time they finished their meal. The wind howled over the mountain peak, but left their little hollow mostly alone.

It was Mara’s turn to relax as Anders drew a circle around their camp with ash from the fire. She watched him carefully assemble the ward that would keep the fire’s heat in even after it went out. When he was done, he hurried back over and shivered.

“I’m glad we’ll be over the pass tomorrow,” he said.

“I don’t know why,” Mara said. “The snow keeps the templars from tracking us.”

“Because it’s _cold_. I swear, sometimes I think it’s you who’s possessed.”

“I’m not even going to ask,” Mara said. “I can tell you’ve got a joke in there somewhere and I am not walking into that.”

Anders gave a dramatic sigh. “You are no fun.”

Mara laughed and stood to join Anders. Since the ward was in place, Mara let the magical fire extinguish. She blinked for a few seconds, and then her eyes adjusted. It wasn’t very dark—the moon was out and its silver light shone bright on the snowy mountainside.

“I do like it here,” she said absently. She gazed out into the night for a while, and then noticed that Anders was staring at her.

“What?” she asked.

He smiled, and Mara was startled to see something like nervousness in his eyes.

“Do you know how long we’ve been on the run?” he asked.

Mara shrugged. “I’ve lost track. Though I think exile suits me. What do you think? Brings out my eyes.”

“It’s been nearly three months,” Anders said. And then stroked his chin and looked appraisingly up and down Mara. “As for the look, while I am always partial to the renegade mage aesthetic, if we wanted to bring out your ‘finest qualities,’ we’d have to go for the mingling noble again.”

“Anders, that was one time.”

Anders folded his arms and mock glared at her. “I should hope so!” he said, sounding horrified. “Having one old Orlesian nobleman compose poetry in honor of your beauty was enough for my fragile heart.”

“Maker have mercy on my soul and banish that memory from my mind.”

“I think Zevran copied it down,” Anders continued. “You will be immortalized, my dear. With such…colorful language.”

He took a step closer to Mara, so he was standing in her space. “I was just thinking--”

“Dangerous,” Mara interrupted.

Anders shook his head and rolled his eyes. “That you look lovely tonight.”

Mara wasn’t sure what to say to that, so she said the first thing that popped into her mind. “And here I never knew that the secret was weeks without a proper bath.”

“Mara,” he sighed, cupping her cheek in his hand. “I mean it. And if it’s alright, I’d like to kiss you.”

Now Mara understood the nervousness, and she was sure it was mirrored in her own eyes. It had been three months since leaving Kirkwall. Since they agreed to start over from scratch. The energy between them still sparked like lightning, but thus far, they had yet to go past the occasional handholding. Alright, it was more like constant handholding but the point still stood.

“I would like that,” Mara said softly. Anders closed the distance between them, pressing his warm body against her, then sliding his hand from her cheek to her chin. He tilted her lips up to meet his, softly. It was just a gentle press, then he pulled back.

Warmth that had nothing to do with the dying embers spread through her body, warming her down to her toes. She could feel the desire humming beneath his skin as his fingers lingered on her.

With a small smile of her own she wound her arms around his neck, pulling him back in. Anders made a sound that seemed almost like a nervous giggle, and took Mara’s face in his hands, and kissed her again. And again. They were kisses unlike Mara was used to—they were almost chaste. And Mara found she enjoyed the slow build.

When they finally broke apart they didn’t go far. Anders slid his arms down her sides and held her around the waist.

“It’s cold. I fear if we don’t share body heat we’ll freeze to death,” he said. It was clear he was trying to conceal a grin, but he was failing miserably. Mara raised her eyebrows.

“Oh, is that so.”

“It is,” he said gravely. “But worry not, love. I am a man of honor, and I will guard your maidenhead with my life.”

Mara couldn’t contain her own giggles. “Anders,” she said. “This would mean _slightly_ more if you hadn’t already taken it.”

“Well, since I did take it, it should be all the easier for me to guard,” said Anders. His face shifted, becoming softer, though the humor didn’t leave his eyes. “In all seriousness, I do just want to have you near. Nothing more.”

“Well if I don’t, I will have to here you whine all day tomorrow about how cold you were. So I suppose it is in my best interests to stay close.”


End file.
